What my friends’ support for Mamdani revealed about Jewish identity – comment

The author reflects on why a third of New York's Jewish voters supported Zohran Mamdani, an anti-Zionist candidate, including many of the author's close friends. The article suggests that these friends, raised in a secular Jewish environment on the Upper West Side, have a diminished awareness of antisemitism, leading them to overlook Mamdani's controversial statements. The author notes that her friends were not bothered when Mamdani called American-Jewish lobbyists “monsters” or linked the NYPD to the IDF. The piece highlights a perceived "bubble" among these American Jews, who, despite being well-educated, exhibit selective ignorance regarding Israel's history and current challenges, such as missile attacks from Gaza. The author contrasts their political engagement, primarily focused on anti-Trump sentiment, with the intense, multifaceted activism seen in Israel.